A huge influence on the development of small arms in Russia and in the world was the widespread use of personal body armor (NIB) for soldiers - body armor. The continuous improvement of body armor has led to the fact that many samples of modern weapons are no longer capable of penetrating individual body armor at any acceptable range. There are two ways to solve this problem: the first is to improve the existing ammunition, and the second is to create completely new ammunition.
As part of the creation of new ammunition in the United States and NATO countries, the transition to a new unified rifle ammunition of 6, 8 mm caliber is being considered.
To arm the crews of armored vehicles and soldiers of auxiliary units, the concept of personal defense weapons (PDW) has been developed, which includes new small-sized ammunition of 4, 6-5, 7 mm caliber and weapons for them, capable of hitting targets protected by the NIB at a distance of up to 200 m.
In Russia, such examples include the 9x21 mm (7N29) armor-piercing cartridge used in the SR-1 Gyurza pistol (Serdyukov's self-loading pistol - SPS / Vector / 6P53) and in the new Udav pistol.
An alternative option is to increase the armor penetration of existing ammunition - the introduction of heat-strengthened cores into the design, an increase in the powder charge. As an illustrative example of this approach, one can point to domestic cartridges 7N21 and 7N31 of 9x19 mm caliber.
Which approach is preferred? Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. The modernization of existing ammunition is cheaper, since, along with new ones, previously released ammunition lying in warehouses can also be used. Also, in some cases, existing weapons can be used, if their design can withstand reinforced ammunition. On the other hand, often the new ammunition turns out to be too powerful for the existing types of weapons, which in any case need to be changed to new models. Accidental or deliberate use of reinforced ammunition in old weapons can lead to its failure and injury to the shooter. In addition, in the rigidly defined dimensions of the "old" ammunition, developers may be limited in choosing the most effective design solutions.
In turn, when creating a new ammunition from a "blank slate", all the latest achievements in materials science can be implemented, the optimal mass and size parameters of a promising ammunition can be selected. The possibility of using new ammunition in outdated weapons is excluded.
Thus, the modernization of obsolete ammunition can be considered effective only as long as the replacement of weapons is not required due to a significant change in the tactical and technical characteristics (TTX) of the new ammunition. Otherwise, the most optimal solution can be considered the creation of a completely new complex weapon-cartridge.
Pistols
A little earlier, we have already considered the adventures of an army pistol in Russia, set out in the first and second parts. Accordingly, we saw that many candidates were considered for the role of an army pistol of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Based on the information available for study, the most likely candidate for this role is the Lebedev pistol being developed by the Kalashnikov concern in full (PL-15) and shortened (PL-15K) versions.
Promising army pistols, supposed to replace the Makarov pistol, are often criticized for their large dimensions and weight compared to the latter. Along with the never-finished GSh-18 pistol, the PL-15K pistol can be considered the most burdensome models for constant wearing.
In the meantime, all the media suddenly appeared in the media about the adoption of a pistol "Boa" chambered for 9x21 mm. In general, the procedure itself for choosing an army pistol without a competition raises many questions. In addition, this weapon turned out to be quite large and will surely cause complaints from users with constant wear.
It can be assumed that the Udav pistol will occupy the niche of the SR-1 Gyurza pistol and become a weapon of special units, but at the same time the following is indicated on the website of the Rostec concern:
The Russian army may receive a new pistol in the near future. TsNIITOCHMASH specialists have developed a "Boa", which is intended to replace the legendary PM. The pistol has passed all state tests, and the decision to launch it into production will be made very soon - in March 2019.
Which pistol will ultimately become the most widespread in the Russian army, in the end, time will tell. It is possible that some problems arose with the Lebedev pistol during the tests, and we will not see the PL-15 / PL-15K pistols at all, and it is possible that the information posted on the Rostec website is not entirely correct, and the PL-15 / PL- 15K will become the main army pistol of the Russian Federation, while the Udav pistol will occupy the niche of special forces weapons.
Another question arises about the need to develop and produce a separate ammunition (ammunition family) of 9x21 mm caliber, whose characteristics are similar to armor-piercing versions of the much more common 9x19 mm caliber.
Considering that all Russian, supposed to be army, pistols are intended at least to work with the 7N21 cartridge, there is no problem of weapon destruction due to unsuitable ammunition, and the need to distribute another 9x21 mm ammunition raises certain doubts.
Submachine guns
The submachine gun niche in Russia has always been extremely specific. In the west, this is a fairly common weapon of the police and special services, it is enough to recall the well-known German Heckler & Koch MP5 or the Israeli UZI.
In the post-war period in the USSR, submachine guns were not used, their niche was firmly occupied by the shortened Kalashnikov assault rifle - AKS-74U, which was issued (issued?) Even to officers of the police patrol service (PPS).
The first samples of Soviet / Russian submachine guns began to be developed in the late 80s and early 90s. Sometimes these were reworkings of the same Kalashnikov assault rifle, such as the Bizon submachine gun, sometimes completely new developments of varying degrees of success.
Initially, the niche of Russian submachine guns was quite limited, perhaps largely due to the financial difficulties of the 90s. Over time, submachine guns occupied their limited niche in the structures of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Bailiff Service, FSO, FSB, FSNP, FSIN and other law enforcement agencies. Ordinary people can most often see submachine guns at collectors working with ATMs or collecting proceeds in supermarkets and gas stations.
But in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, submachine guns did not receive distribution. The emergency supply of pilots includes a Stechkin pistol and / or an AKS-74U submachine gun, a similar situation for armored vehicle crews (pistols + a shortened submachine gun).
If we talk about crews of armored vehicles, for which the risk of being in the thick of a combined-arms battle is quite high, then talking about any submachine guns is simply irresponsible. In the end, it is quite possible to find a place in the tank for three full-size Kalashnikov assault rifles, or their modern shortened versions of the AK-104 / AK-105 type.
The situation with pilots is more complicated. In August 2019, information appeared that they wanted to replace the AKS-74U, replacing it with a lighter and more compact submachine gun PP-2000.
What will it give from a practical point of view? Will the flight range be increased by 100 meters or the air cannon ammunition for 5 rounds? What will the pilot get as a result of this replacement? Less firepower and less common ammunition?
If in terms of the development of an army pistol there is some progress in increasing armor penetration, then the capabilities of the PP-2000 in terms of armor penetration and firing range will be significantly inferior to the AKS-74U, even with the 7N31 increased armor penetration cartridge.
Let's try to look at the situation from the tasks being solved. A pilot can only be on the ground if his plane / helicopter is shot down or crashed for technical reasons. In this case, the pilot finds himself in hostile territory, with a significant numerical and fire superiority of the enemy. Accordingly, the best ally of the pilot will be camouflage, and it is best for the pilot to conduct combat operations only if absolutely necessary, taking into account the provision of minimal unmasking of his position, which makes a requirement for the presence of a silencer on the weapon. Another significant factor is the extreme limited ammunition, which is likely to be replenished nowhere, which implies the need to ensure high-precision shooting, high destructive properties of ammunition and the presence of an optical sight on the weapon.
Does Russia have weapons that meet these requirements? Of course. These are silent sniper rifles 6P29 "Vintorez" and VSK-94, machine guns 6P30 "Val" and 9A-91 for powerful cartridges 9x39. Combined with a simple and reliable telescopic sight of small magnification, possibly with an additional attachment for shooting in the dark, with armor-piercing cartridges in the kit, this weapon can significantly increase the pilots' chances of surviving in hostile territory. Given the presence of two developers / manufacturers, it is quite possible to hold a competition and, based on its results, choose the most optimal option. It is unclear why such an obvious solution was not implemented 25 years ago, when all these weapons had just appeared.
And it is better to leave submachine guns chambered for a pistol cartridge to those who use them at the present time, in the army they have absolutely nothing to do.
